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The GMMC Medicine Wheel
A picture of our Medicine Wheel would be great. I would like to list the various components of our Wheel and what they mean to us on this page. [[The Medicine Wheel|Back to The Medicine Wheel 'main page]] 'The Wheel Itself . . 'The Objects on the Wheel' There are several object that have traditionally been placed on the GMMC Medicine Wheel. Occasionally the members will 'journey' with an object and bring back something of significance associated with it. String of skull beads : History: origin unknown : Significance: (Ben-Andy) "It is a chain of Ancestors, a link to where we come from. The Ancestors are like stream beds flowing down a mountain. Some of them are straight and direct (maternal, mitochondrial DNA) and others branch and interconnect (combination of different DNAs). On the string there is a long unbroken section with all the skull facing the same direction, this represents the long, unbroken chain of our ancestors. A short section of only 3 skulls, some of which face opposite ways, represent our most recent ancestors, where they may be some confusion. The next string of 14 skulls represents our generations stretching back 400 years or so." (Meridith) "The destroying goddess Kali wears it around her neck. Each skull represents an initiate of the circle. Kali says that destruction must happen first. But then the birth goddess Mother Durga tears the necklace from the neck of Kali and it breaks spilling the skulls like seeds onto the ground. Small plants emerge. We must pass through destruction to new life." Wreath of twigs : History: origin unknown : Significance: (Ray) "The shape is round, a circle, representing the circle of shamans, each a twig, united into one." Driftwood with nails : History: Introduced during 'graduation ceremonies' from 'Seeing in the Dark' trainings and used for about a year. Nails were driven in by graduates, committing themselves to developing the shamanic skills they had learned. : Significance: (Dick) "A gnarled trunk, maybe mesquite or even a grape vine? All the nails are different and some have attached pieces of plastic. This represent Diversity." : (Albert) "To me this object has always had great power. The archetype of a gnarled and twisted branch is shamanism itself and it's irrepressible growth over the many centuries of it's existance going all the way back into pre history. The nails driven by each person is unmistakeably a powerful act of permanently connecting the nailer to the body of shamanism, Mamapacha, almost sexual in nature." "This piece of driftwood looks like a gnarled old man, face grimaced in pain, with hair of flames and a missing leg. Little eyes cover his body, each one a zone of awareness, a chakra. The nails are like those that nailed the Christ to the cross, each initiate nails his evil and pain into the cross in order to be FREE. The branch promises a life without pain." : : Plush Buffalo : : History: Ben-Andy offers it as a symbol of his power animal. : : Significance: (Dick) "It represents all power animals. It is weighted so that it never tips over, but is always upright. The slave ring on its left paw represents marriage, and the 3 separate rings have numeric significance. The stuffed animal is an archetype, the ancestral Teddy Bear that we all treasure." : : Large Black Stone in the Center : : History: This stone and the smaller white one atop it were found exactly in this position during the GMMC Annual Retreat at Acton in 2011. Meridith found them when we were setting up our outdoor medicine circle by Stream. : : Significance: (Ray) "It represents the Monolith (as in 2001: A Space Odessey) a communication with the spirits. It listens to the whispers of spirit and grants power for big decisions. It is in the center and represents freedom to move in all directions." : : Abalone Shell : : History: origin unkown : : Significance: (Ben-Andy) "My power animals told me that this shell is of the West, of Water and of Sea. It is food and beauty and utility. A place of power, Owl's Rock, is the abalone shell turned upside down. It reminds us of Venus riding the Shell. It, and many objects on the altar, is used in our Initiation ceremony. It holds water." : :Thoughts on the Medicine Wheel : :(Charles) "I saw the Virgen de Guadalupe, who swept the medicine circle free of objects. She was joined by other symbols of feminine power, Santa Barbara and Santa Lucia. She asked, 'when will you put up my altar?' Marcus Aurelius answered, 'What is holy and what is sacred?'. Objects that link us to the spirit have different meanings and power for each of us. They remind us of and bring us to the sacred. They represent Fire, Earth, Water, Air and, in the center, Life." : : . .